United Church of the Valley
A Partnership Church
United Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ


A Progressive Christian Community
A Just Peace Congregation

November 2022

Our Sunday service is live and on our Zoom channel. The recording of the service will be available online later that day on Facebook, YouTube and on our Website.

Behind the Pulpit in November

Nov. 6th - Dr. Sharon Graff

Nov. 13th - Sandy Selby

Nov. 20th - Rev. Jennifer Zech

Nov.. 27th - Rev. Stephanie Toon

Sherian Spencer

Moderator


Don't Take'em with You

November 12-13 of this year is National Donor Sabbath for organ donations. Today, more than 100,000 people in the US need a life saving organ-transplant. For those waiting for that gift of life, the uncertainty can be excruciating, exacting a physical and emotional toll on the potential recipient and their loved ones. For all who can, you are encouraged to become organ, eye, tissue, marrow, and blood donors. In doing so, you honor those who have given this most extraordinary of gifts.

Last year, our nation’s transplant experts performed more than 41,000 organ transplants – a record number! Organ donations from deceased donors set an annual record for the 11th consecutive year.

Living donor transplants, which decreased significantly in 2020 due to the pandemic, increase with over 6,000 living donor transplants performed.

Despite the progress, the US continues to face a critical shortage of organ donors and 17 people die every day while on the waiting list for donations. Today’s transplant waitlist includes more than 1,900 children.

Waitlist data also shows that people of color make up nearly 60% of those awaiting a transplant. The US government has recommitted to promoting greater diversity in organ donation, as advancements in health equity for all communities, including those that have gone underserved.

Every year, nearly 18,000 Americans are diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancers or other diseases for which a blood stem cell transplant may be their best or only hope for a cure.

Approximately 70% of these individuals need donors from outside their families. While transplantation continues to increase substantially and meet the needs of people with organ failure, we must continue

our efforts to shorten the waiting list and encourage organ donation. If you have not already, sign up at organdonor.gov for organ, eye and tissue donation, and bloodstemcell.hrsa.gov for marrow and blood donation.

  • Every donor can save 8 lives and enhance 75 more
  • Every 9 minutes a person is added to the transplant wait list
  • Sadly, only 3 in 1000 people die is a way that allows for deceased organ donations
  • There are currently more than 105,000 people on the US waitlist; nearly 22,000 live in CA
  • Anyone can become a potential donor regardless of age, ethnicity, or medical history
  • An average of 22 patients die each day while waiting, simply because the organ then needed was not donated in time
  • A living donor can provide a kidney or portion of their liver, lung, pancreas or intestine to someone in need


***Be more than a little pink dot on your driver’s license***

It's Stewardship Time

Please Fill Out Your UCV Pledge Card for 2023

It's that time of year where you search your heart and ask that very important question, "How important is UCV to me, how does it affect my life, how do we affect our community?" Then come up with a pledge amount that is manageable, we don't want to create stress in your life by asking for a pledge that may be difficult to reach each week/month. 


The pledge card is a very important tool used by your church council to put together a balanced budget. Without you, we would fall short of that task.


Thank you from the bottom of our heart.

Click to fill out your pledge card
Our Peace Pole has been refreshed and relocated, it now sits in front of the United Church of the Valley building, a totem of peace and hope for all people. A place to come and sit and reflect on life.

Thanks Ruth, Sherian and everyone who made this happen.

Our November Worship Services

As Sandy and I look out the window on a train from Prague to Munich, it is easier to remember that we are well into the autumn season. Leaves have turned colors and are rapidly falling. We’ve been pretty lucky with the weather, just a couple of rainy days so far. Temperature has been reasonably comfortable, especially with extra layers of clothes. And a Best Buy add on my phone is announcing that Black Friday starts NOW! In CA it’s not so easy to see those seasonal signs. In any case, it still was a bit of a shock when I realized that this newsletter needed to include Thanksgiving and the first week of Advent!


So we have much to look forward to this month. First on Nov. 6 Dr. Sharon Graff will preach. She will again be bringing her magical crystal and brass singing bells for another amazing Sound Bath session from 2-3pm (donations requested). It will be great to hear from Sandy Selby on Nov. 13. Rev. Zechlin will speak on Nov. 20 when we will observe Thanksgiving. Watch for details soon. Actually all of November we’ll be thinking about stewardship and thanksgiving. You’ll be hearing much more about how you can show your thanksgiving in the days ahead. Which brings us on Nov. 27 to the beginning of Advent, which means that our liturgical colors change from green (common time) to purple (advent). There are four weeks of Advent culminating in Christmas. Advent is traditionally a time of waiting and preparing (we Norwegians need to be sure we’ve baked at least seven kinds of cookies! and I’m sure there are other traditions that many of you observe to prepare for the BIG day). This year we are going to take time for awe and wonder. For now, we’ll let you wonder what that means


On our travels in Vienna and Prague and now coming back to Munich we see many Ukrainian flags on public buildings showing support. We will continue to pray for JUST peace this Advent season. In the famous Wenceslaus Square (yes, THAT good king) there were two guys holding up signs offering free hugs. Maybe that’s something we at UCV might want to try!

Your 2022 Church Council
Sherian Spencer - Moderator
Rick Hayden - Vice Moderator
Darcie Dunlop - Clerk
Keira Eddy - Treasurer
Lynne Bradley - Worship
Open - Outreach

Rev. Jen Zechlin
Christian Education
Sherian Spencer -
Congregational Life
Lorian Dunlop - Member-at-Large
All services will be live and on Zoom beginning at 10am every Sunday. The live service will be recorded and available on the UCV website, Facebook and YouTube later in the day.

Christmas Raffle for a Beautiful Quilt is Underway

UCV

Prayers & Squares

Drawing Date – Dec. 4th need not be present to win

Christmas Quilt

Funds go to UCV General fund

Contact: Edna 909-518-9978

 

Donation $10, 3 for $25

 Need Space for your Recovery Meeting?

3 Sizes of Rooms Available·     

3 Sizes of Rooms Available
  •  Room A: up to 6 people (top)
  •  Library: 7 – 15 people (middle)
  •  Sanctuary: 16 – 50 people (bottom)
Storage available for Recovery brochures and supplies (limited)

Coffee Pot and supplies available for use in Kitchen

TV screens available in Library and Sanctuary for presentations

Donations:

Room A - $15 / week based on one meeting per week

Library - $20 / week based on one meeting per week

Sanctuary - $25 / week based on one meeting per week
**½ off first month’s cost while you establish your meeting
(During Covid we ask that all CDC guidelines are followed regarding masks, cleaning and chair spacing)

Who We Are… United Church of the Valley is a small United Church of Christ / Disciples of Christ located in the Temecula/Murrieta Valley. No matter where you are on your journey, you are welcome here.
United church of the valley
41685 Date Street, Suite 100
Murrieta, CA 92562
 
Website: ucvchurch.org
Phone: 951.698.1520
T'ai Chi with Paul Dallas
Bringing our tithes and offerings to God is an important spiritual practice that cultivates gratitude and generosity. While we cannot physically pass the offering plate, we can continue to bring our gifts to God through online or mail-in donations. 
To send a check, please use:
United Church of the Valley
P.O. Box 1312
Murrieta, CA 92564

Or donate online:

PayPal: 

admin@ucvchurch.org 

(3.5% fee)

Venmo: @ucvchurch (free)



UCV Birthday Bank

November Birthdays

The Birthday Bank has been a tradition at the United Church of the Valley for many a year. When your birthday comes around you get to put $1 for every year into the birthday bank (the $1 per year is only a suggestion). Of course we would love to celebrate with you during our social after the Sunday Service, we'll even provide the cake. Is your name on this list?


November Birthdays

  • Helen Marx-Ortega - 7th
  • Mollie Halverson-Cano - 12th
  • Ruth Sharp - 15th
  • Sean Barnett - 17th
  • Veronica Stroyer - 18th
  • Keira Eddy - 23rd
  • Kathryn Barnett - 28th
  • Sherry Turner - 30th
Donation Options
Please email any joys & concerns you would like read aloud to Sherian Spencer at sherianspencer@gmail.com. You can also send confidential prayer requests. Just indicate as such and let Sandy know if you want it shared with any of the other spiritual counselors.
You can find our Sermons, past and present, on our YouTube channel (click the video) as well as our website (click the button).
Sermons on our Website
News from Nicaragua

There is no specific news from our partners in Chacraseca. The political news from Nicaragua continues to be pretty bleak and disturbing. We certainly need to continue to keep them in our prayers!

**Hey friends! This is our little church in the Temecula Valley. In order to get our own YouTube URL we need 100 subscribers so we're asking all our friends to go and find the subscribe button and hit it! Thanks for the help. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVD-CRp3cQMe4LmvekM4GyQ
Congregational Care

Prayers for:

  • Ruth Dunlap
  • Karen H.
  • Steve
  • Edna
  • Lynn (surgery to shoulder)
  • Russel (grandson of Donna's friend)
  • Linda
  • Jennifer (friend of Rick H)
  • Fred (Darcie's cousin)
  • Grandpa Neil of the Farr-Toon family.


Welcome back to all those who left town for vacations last month.


Donna's nephew Eddie has made a full recovery from his heart surgery.


We had our annual Pumpkin Glow at our church last Sunday. A good time was had by all who were there.


Conference News- We were sad to see the Community Congregational Church of Pacific Beach close their doors. They had a closing service on October 16th.


Please ask for a food list at church for the food bags we collect for the Thanksgiving food bags for the food pantry. Bags are due by Sunday, Nov. 13th so they can be distributed on Nov. 18th. You can also donate money for turkeys and other perishable food.  


Look for the following activities in this newsletter:                

  • Our book study continues to meet on Sunday at 8 am via zoom.  
  • Please join us for game night at the church on Oct. 1st.  

       

Pilgrim Pines News

The new camp director Tracy Brown is now at the Pines. She is doing orientation with Connie who has been camp director under UCCR for the past 7 years. She will be leaving at the end of Dec. The camp now has its own board to lead the camp. Many of the programs will continue under the guidence of the new board. Look for ways we can volunteer at the camp after the 1st of next year.

Go to the web site at pilgrimpinescamp.org for information about camp

Online Fellowship at UCV
Services will be live and on Zoom at 10am on Sundays. The live service will be recorded and available on the UCV website, Facebook and YouTube later in the day.
Even fellowship can be online, thanks to the innovative minds at Zoom! Join us for Sunday Service live and on zoom beginning at 10am. UCV has its own Zoom meeting room at https://zoom.us/j/9516981520

You can join from your Zoom app using meeting number 9516981520 

Or you can join by phone:
One tap mobile
+16699006833,9516981520# US (San Jose)

or dial 
+1-669-900-6833
and then enter 
9516981520# 

You can start your own online fellowship, too! Just email Sandy Selby at moderator@ucvchurch.org to get on the meeting schedule. 
Sunday Service - Live and on Zoom, 10AM
Book Club - We are meeting online every Sunday at 9am Zoom Meeting Room
Voices of the Valley Youth Choir - SUSPENDED until further notice
UCV Council Meeting - 1st Sunday of the month 11:15am Zoom Meeting Room
AA Meeting - Every Monday 7pm
Women's Al-Anon Meeting - Every Wednesday 5:30pm
Men's AA Meeting - Every Wednesday 7pm
A Big Book Study - Every Friday 7pm
C.O.D.A.Meeting - Every Sunday 5:30pm (Currently still on Zoom)


The Community House is located at
41685 Date Street, Murrieta 92562
Submit a Prayer Request
Submit a Prayer Request
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities
United Church of the Valley is a Partnership Church
United Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ
951-698-1520 admin@ucvchurch.org
www.ucvchurch.org
41685 Date St. Murrieta

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